Femi Otedola has built one of Nigeria’s biggest business empires. Yet, in his new memoir, the billionaire confesses that he never completed high school — let alone a university degree.
His book, Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business, released this week, traces the unlikely journey that carried him from struggling classrooms in Lagos and Oyo to boardrooms across the world.
“There was something about academia and me; we were not compatible,” Otedola writes. “Even when I was allowed to pass, I consistently anchored the bottom rungs of our results.”
He describes how, at age 12, he entered Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos, a school famous for producing leaders like Nnamdi Azikiwe and Mobolaji Johnson. But his poor academic record soon led his parents to transfer him to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo.
Still, little changed. By the late 1970s, Otedola had left formal schooling behind, drawn instead to the whirring machines at his father’s printing press in Surulere.
“I managed to remain in school until the Lower Sixth examination was over. And then, I was finished; I never returned for my Upper Sixth,” he recalls.
From Press Room to Power House
By 1987, Otedola had risen to managing director of Impact Press, his father’s company. He immersed himself in operations, from typing letters to wooing clients. He convinced his father to let him work as a sales consultant on commission.
That freedom gave him the drive to win major contracts from agencies and corporate clients. “We could hardly keep up with the demand,” he writes. Academy Press in Ilupeju was the main rival, but Impact Press held its ground with speed and quality.
When his father entered politics in 1991, Otedola turned the break into a chance for independence. In 1994, with ₦10 million in capital, he launched Centre Force Ltd., marking his first big solo leap into business.
That seed grew into a diversified empire: shipping, oil and gas, real estate, and finance. He chaired Forte Oil, invested in power through Geregu Power Plc, and today leads FirstHoldco Plc, one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups.
Would you leave school early if you believed business was your destiny, or would you fight through academics first?
A Book Already Breaking Records
Just one day after launch, Making It Big surged to No. 4 on Amazon’s Best Sellers list for business biographies, ranking behind Gary Stevenson’s The Trading Game and Phil Knight’s classic Shoe Dog.
The memoir has drawn praise from top global figures, including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization, Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank, and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
“My true classroom was not a lecture hall but the business floor,” Otedola insists in the book. “I learned from my father, trusted my instincts, and built from failures as much as from triumphs.”
His story echoes that of many self-made tycoons who thrived without traditional degrees, a reminder that persistence, discipline, and vision often matter more than certificates. According to World Bank research, education improves economic opportunity, but business success still depends heavily on skills, networks, and resilience.
Beyond the Tears of His Mother
Otedola admits his mother wept when he abandoned formal schooling. Yet, her tears watered a determination that has made him one of Africa’s most influential entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
Today, his companies employ thousands and his foundation funds health and education causes. His memoir is available in major bookstores from Lagos to Nairobi, London to Accra.
Otedola’s book can be purchased from right here on Amazon.
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